Jefferson's Grave

Since Monticello was Thomas Jefferson's favorite place on Earth, he arranged to be buried there. Today, his grave -- marked by a larger obelisk erected by the United States government than the original one designed by Jefferson himself -- sits in the Jefferson family's private cemetery. Fenced in and not accessible to Monticello visitors, linear descendants of Jefferson are buried here and the family oversees the management of the cemetery. Jefferson's descendents resulting from his relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings, are not allowed burial in this family cemetery.

While the obelisk that serves as Jefferson's headstone is a common symbol of Freemasonry, Jefferson was not a member. According to his letters and personal documents, Jefferson did not approve of fraternal organizations, although many of his contemporaries, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Marquis de Lafayette, were Freemasons.

The only element that remains of Jefferson's original design for his grave is the inscription on his grave marker. He only wanted to be remembered for three things, and as such, his epitaph reads:

Here was buried Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of American Independence
of the Statue of Virginia for Religious Freedom
and Father of the University of Virginia.

His epitaph does not mention his presidency or even Jefferson's tenure as governor of Virginia or U.S. Secretary of State. Interestingly, Jefferson thought of these roles as civic duties, not life achievements. Instead, he focused his epitaph on his considerable accomplishments, which one would have been heralded as a great legacy.

Jefferson's Weather Dial

Thomas Jefferson was obsessed with the weather. Twice every day, he would collect and record weather measurements. He installed a large weather vein to the top of the main entrance to Monticello. However, in case of inclement weather, Jefferson also devised this weather dial that was connected to the weather vein but placed on the ceiling of the main entrance. Instead of needing to walk outside to gather his wind measurements, Jefferson would just need to step out his front door and look up at the exposed weather dial.

Ingenious, right? Jefferson was well-known for devising efficient, easy ways to conduct day-to-day tasks. He even boiled down how to live your best life into ten simple rules. A poster of the Jefferson's Ten Rules, which I've included below, is sold at the Monticello's gift store. I love the rules' simplicity and timelessness. Jefferson selected words and phrases thoughtfully, as evidenced by his evergreen prose found in the Declaration of Independence, intending for his words to live beyond him. He succeeded.

Jefferson's Ten Rules
By Thomas Jefferson

• Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
• Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
• Never spend money before you have earned it.
• Never buy what you don't want because it is cheap.
• Pride costs more than hunger, thirst and cold.
• We seldom repent of having eaten too little.
• Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
• How much pain the evils cost us that never happened.
• Take things always by the smooth handle.
• When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, count a hundred.

Little Mountain

According to our tour guide at Monticello yesterday, Thomas Jefferson was fluent in seven languages. Monticello in Italian -- one of Jefferson's languages -- means "little mountain," appropriate since the plantation was built on a mountaintop.

From Monticello, Jefferson and his family could see the Blue Ridge Mountains and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to the west. This image was taken looking south from Mulberry Road which runs along the southeastern side of the main house. On a clear day, the Jeffersons must have had quite a view. It is understandable why Jefferson and his family loved this estate so much.

Beautiful Monticello

Today, I finally visited Monticello, the former home of Thomas Jefferson near Charlottesville, Virginia. It was spectacular and lived up to all of my expectations. This is a photograph of the well-known back of the main house, which faces a large lawn bordered by flowering plants and oak trees.

I've always held a deep appreciation of Jefferson's brilliance, but exploring his home today raised it to a higher level. Jefferson designed Monticello himself and personally oversaw its construction. Inspired by his extensive reading about architecture, as well as his years living in France as an American diplomat, Monticello reflects more Roman, Greek and French architecture than the colonial style of the period. He also used the house and 3,000-acre plantation as a laboratory for his inventions and experiments. His innovations, such as doors that automatically open and a wine dummy system to transport wine from the underground cellars to the dinning room, provided efficiencies and ease of living that were before its time.

While Jefferson has his critics, due to his hypocrisy of being an advocate for Americans' freedoms yet owning at least 130 slaves at Monticello, you cannot disregard his contributions because of it. His forward-thinking  and leadership helped a fledgling nation start its journey in the world and billions of people have benefited as a result. Monticello's slavery past may represent what was disappointing about Jefferson, but Monticello as a whole illustrates his greatness.

Birthday Rose

This is my favorite stage in the blooming of a rose -- open just beyond the bud stage, but not at full bloom yet. It symbolizes how we should be as people, structured and yet still open and flexible. It's a hard balance to strike, and usually requires a lifetime to achieve. However, at least nature reminds us in these moments that we too are as capable of achieving this balance as this red rose. Achieving that balance is one of the major challenges I am hoping to make great progress on this year.

Birthday Stargazer Lily

I got flowers! For my birthday!! I'm such a sucker for delivered flowers. It's like the perfect surprise. Luckily, I had my camera on hand to capture it on film.

This beautiful arrangement of red and pink stargazer lilies, gerbera daisies and roses arrived at my office yesterday and immediately brightened my day. It was a touching gesture from a dear friend in celebration of my birthday. It's arrival instantly perked up my office and filled the hallways with its intoxicating scent.

Lucky 33

Today is my birthday; I'm turning 33 years old. I'm looking forward to this new year ahead and feel that it will be a lucky one for me. Why?

I'm generally not a superstitious person, but there are a few family superstitions that I follow. One of them is the belief that numbers are lucky if they are a multiple of three. If I play the lottery or pick seats on an airplane, I always use numbers that are divisible by three. It sounds silly, I know. I don't really have any evidence that it is true, but it is comforting to follow.

So, cheers to 33! Here's to it being a phenomenal (and lucky) year.